What is your favorite movie?

This is a discussion on What is your favorite movie? within the Off Topic & Humor Discussion forums, part of the The Back Porch category; Everyone has a favorite movie or movies. What are your?
Mine, in no particular order, are
Princess Bride
The Magnificent Seven
Croc Dundee II
Juno...

If you like Magnificent 7, then rent "Seven Samuri". My friend once told me that a Holywood producer stole the plot for Magnificent 7 from the moving Seven Samuri. It is weird, because it is the exact same story with many scenes that are identical.

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." . . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt

If you like Magnificent 7, then rent "Seven Samurai". My friend once told me that a Hollywood producer stole the plot for Magnificent 7 from the moving Seven Samurai. It is weird, because it is the exact same story with many scenes that are identical.

I have wide-ranging tastes. Here is a short list of some of my favorites.

The Hudsucker Proxy -- Comedy fantasy, in much the same vein as Forest Gump. Hysterical, slapstick the way it should be done, with a lot of "life truths" tossed in for good measure. Absolutely hysterical. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh ....! Probably the best film Tim Robbins has done, IMO.

The Ballad Of Gregorio Cortez -- Drama in which a Mexican man is blamed for a crime and trailed by the law.

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington -- Idyllic view of the power of the Congress to set things to rights.

The Usual Suspects -- A career criminal plans and executes elaborate crimes and enjoys tweaking the noses of law enforcement in the process. Excellent acting, interesting story.

A Chorus Line -- While generally panned by critics, I think the music and dancing is pretty great. A far sight better than some of the stuff that passes for it today.

The Water Engine -- A little-known fairie tale drama starring William H. Macy about a man who invents an engine that runs on water, only to be crushed by entrenched powers allied to the auto industry soon after he spills the beans in an attempt to patent his creation.

Camille Claudel -- A story about an apprentice to the sculptor Rodin, their stormy love and professional association. Starring Isabelle Adjani and Gerard Depardieu. French with subtitles, though the story is so passionate and intriguing that you hardly notice after awhile.

My Dog Skip -- A story of a dog and a boy, and how they're forever changed as they both grow up. A touching story of childhood that's very well acted and directed. Fun. A great family film.

The Lover -- Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starring Tony Leung and Jane March, it's an autobiographical story of young woman who takes a lover. Lush and seductive with excellent cinemetography. Has a few steamy scenes, as you might imagine.

State And Main -- A great comedy with an ensemble cast directed by David Mamet. He's a playwright that happens to do decent films. They have the pacing and feel of a play, much the same way Heist (Gene Hackman) feels, which is another film by Mamet. S&M, though, is a comedy about a film company's sordid side caught up (in a good way) with a small town's inherent goodness. Stars William H. Macy, too.

A Band Of Brothers -- To my way of thinking, one of the finest films of brotherhood, bonding and war ever made. It goes into the problems encountered by the average man. A rich story, richly told.

The Simple Life Of Noah Dearborn -- A recent film starring Sidney Poitier, about a man who has remained untouched and unscathed by modern society, despite more than a century of leading a simple, hard-working life. Wonderful story. If bookends to Poitier's exceptional film career are what you're looking for, Lilies Of The Field and this one might well be the choices.

When Harry Met Sally -- A classic romantic comedy done to perfection. "Waiter, there is too much pepper in my paprikash. Pee-kahn p-eyeeeeeeee." Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan do this one right, and direction by "Meathead" (aka Rob Reiner) is spot on.

Grave Of The Fireflies -- Animated drama about two children orphaned near the end of WW2 in the firebombing of Kobe. Breaks your heart, but the story is beautiful. If you haven't seen this, you need to. Japanese, with subtitles. Probably in the top two or three films of any kind that I've ever seen.

Lord Of The Rings -- I admit it. I'm a Tolkien fan. Have read the Silmarillion and other "back story" books, including Lost Tales and others. Rumor has it that The Hobbit is to be produced, but I haven't heard anything more, recently. Can't imagine what Smaug and the spider attack in the forest will be like, given that the bar has been set so high with LOTR. Some are even indicating they've heard that the BBC is planning to do The Silmarillion as a multi-part film.

Last edited by ccw9mm; May 14th, 2008 at 05:00 AM.
Reason: the spelling bee apparently didn't include me, this year.